Creamy Pumpkin & Bacon Pasta Recipe

It's a comforting autumn dinner made with fresh pumpkin, with most of the cooking time spent roasting the vegetables in the oven. Toss the sauce with your favourite pasta and finish with bacon and extra Parmesan.

Love creamy pasta dishes? You'll also like my creamy garlic mushroom pasta, creamy sweet potato pasta, and creamy sausage pasta.

Ingredient notes

Pasta - short shapes such as rigatoni, penne or fusilli work well because they catch the creamy sauce. Use dried pasta and cook according to the packet instructions.

Pumpkin - you need 500g after peeling and removing the seeds. Choose a pumpkin sold for cooking, which generally has a better flavour and texture than a large carving pumpkin.

Olive oil - helps the pumpkin roast and prevents it from sticking to the tray.

Rosemary - roast the sprigs with the pumpkin, then remove the woody stalks before blending.

Garlic - roast the cloves in their skins, then squeeze out the softened garlic before adding it to the food processor.

Smoked streaky bacon (smoked bacon) - six rashers add savoury, smoky flavour. Four go into the sauce, and two are chopped for the topping.

Single cream (light cream) - makes the pumpkin sauce creamy. US readers can use light cream; heavy cream will give a richer, thicker sauce that may need extra pasta water.

Parmesan - finely grate it so it blends easily into the sauce. Keep a little extra aside for serving if you like.

Dijon mustard - adds a subtle tang without making the sauce taste strongly of mustard.

Lemon juice - balances the cream, cheese and sweet pumpkin.

Salt and black pepper - season carefully, as the bacon and Parmesan already contribute salt.

Variations

• Butternut squash - replace the pumpkin with the same weight of peeled, deseeded butternut squash. Roast until tender.
• Vegetarian pumpkin pasta - leave out the bacon and use a vegetarian hard cheese instead of Parmesan. Roasted mushrooms make a good topping.
• Different herbs - use thyme instead of rosemary for a slightly different flavour.
• Extra greens - stir fresh spinach into the warm pasta until wilted, or add peas to the pasta water towards the end of cooking.
• A little heat - add a pinch of chilli flakes to the roasting tray.

How to make pumpkin and bacon pasta

One: Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan / 375°F / Gas 5). Place the cubed pumpkin, rosemary sprigs and unpeeled garlic cloves in a large roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper, and toss together. Roast for 35 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft enough to squash with a fork.

Two: Lay the bacon rashers over the pumpkin and return the tray to the oven for 10 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked through. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, reserving a mugful of pasta cooking water before draining.

Three: Remove the woody rosemary stalks and squeeze the softened garlic out of its skins. Place the pumpkin, rosemary leaves, garlic and four bacon rashers in a food processor, reserving the remaining two rashers for the topping. Add the single cream, Parmesan, Dijon mustard and lemon juice, then blend until smooth. Gradually add enough reserved pasta water to create a silky sauce, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

Four: Toss the sauce with the drained pasta, warming gently in the saucepan if needed. Add another splash of pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Chop the reserved bacon rashers, sprinkle them over the pasta and serve immediately with extra grated Parmesan if you like.

Serving suggestions

Pumpkin and bacon pasta is filling enough to serve on its own. For an easy vegetable side, add steamed broccoli, green beans or a crisp green salad.

If you're feeding hungry appetites, serve with focaccia or garlic bread to mop up the sauce.

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